Mine
by Sparkly Faerie
Summary: Inuyasha has not told Kagome that youkai have a mating season. In the end, it is Souta that suspect his secret. Well Kagome will get to the bottom of this! ONESHOT InuKag


**Hey, guys. I've bee in a "oneshot mood" lately, even though this one is longer than any other oneshot I've written. I've been working on this for four days straight. Lucky I'm on holidays from school, huh? And I'll get back to writing Rescue Me as soon as a little something clears up. Technically, I'm not supposed to be on the computer at the moment, but don't tell anyone, ok? (wink)**

**This is the censored version. Look in my profile for the link to the full version on MediaMiner.**

**Disclaimer:** Inuyasha does not belong to me. He, and all his friends, enemies, and associates, are the intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi.

**Summary: **Inuyasha has not told Kagome that youkai have a mating season. In the end, it is Souta that suspect his secret. Well; Kagome will get to the bottom of this!

**Rating:** M

**Genre:** Romance

* * *

**Mine**

"And then, oh, he'll lay me down on the bed, and crawl up my body, planting light butterfly kisses…"

"Puh-lease." Kagome scoffed, cutting across Ayumi's fantasies of how she wanted her first time to be with Hojo. "You _really_ think men are that patient?"

"Aww come on, don't be like that." Eri giggled. "We all know you're just jealous, 'cause that's the kinda thing he'd do and you're upset you passed him up." Kagome lazily rolled her eyes over to where Eri sat next to her in the booth at WacDonalds.

"Oh, bull." She snorted.

"Fine then." Ayumi huffed. "Tell us how you want your first time to be!" She all but shouted with a dark blush. Kagome chuckled darkly and ignored the people around them, staring at them incredulously. It was a school day and all the children were at school, so it was just adults and kids too young to understand what they were talking about that were in the vicinity.

The nineteen-year-old woman leaned forward. The other three young women leaned in expectantly. "I'm not telling you." She whispered, grinning at their reactions.

"I told you how I want _mine_ to be!" Ayumi spluttered.

Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes. "I didn't _ask_ to be told. You just started blabbering."

"But now we're all curious." Yuka prodded Kagome's leg with her foot from under the table. "Unless you're a frigid?" She grinned toothily at Kagome's hot blush.

"I most certainly am _not_." She growled, frustrated. And she _definitely_ wasn't. She'd had enough erotic fantasies about a certain inu hanyou to know _that_ for sure!

"You alright, Kags?" Eri elbowed her in the ribs. "You sound a bit frustrated."

"You don't know the half of it." Kagome sighed. "I just… I keep throwing the signals at him and _he doesn't get it_!" She slammed her hands down on the table violently, seething.

Eri blinked at her. "Who? Not that jealous two-timer?!" Kagome nodded with a sigh.

"Girl, you've gotta get over him – and fast." Ayumi clicked her fingers to illustrate her point. "You don't wanna sleep with a guy you can't trust to be faithful to you. You just don't… you just don't _do_ that!"

Kagome grinned sadly. "You can tell my mind that, but my heart – hell, my entire _body_ – won't listen!" She buried her face into her hands. "I know it's just so… so… so _wrong_! But I… I can't…"

"You need to get laid." Yuka said matter-of-factly. "If he won't do it, then go find someone who _will_. What about that other guy that he always fights with? Doesn't _he_ like you?" The other two nodded in agreement.

"I don't think Inuyasha would appreciate me running to _Kouga_." Kagome said wryly. "They fight enough as it is – _without_ me accommodating Kouga's attentions. Imagine what'd happen if I _did_. He's likely to _kill_ him!" Kagome sighed and rested her chin on the table. "Besides, Kouga's a good friend. I don't want to lead him on like that. It's not fair."

"You did it to Hojo." Ayumi pointed out.

Kagome shrugged. "I was confused about my feelings." She grinned evilly. "And you guys trying to set me up with him all the time didn't help."

Yuka giggled nervously. "Ehehehe… but still…"

"No." Kagome sighed, sinking deeper into her chair. "Now that I know for sure how I feel… and he's ended it with his ex for good… I just can't bring myself to betray his trust like that. We're not together, but he's really protective, you know."

"So why don't you just _throw_ yourself at him?" Eri raised an eyebrow.

Ayumi nodded. "She _has_ a point…"

Kagome considered this for a moment before dismissing the notion. "He'd throw me off and laugh at me." Her eyebrow twitched in irritation. "I just don't _understand_ him."

"_Well_…" Eri tapped her fingers on the table innocently, wearing a devious smirk. "…There's _always_ a way to make a man want you…"

Kagome bit her lip. "I don't wanna be underhanded or anything like that."

"Oh come on, Kagome." Yuka nudged her leg with her foot again. "It'd only be a one-night-er. What's there to lose?"

"My virginity?"

"You're a virgin?" They all gasped.

Kagome looked at them, offended. "Of course I am!" She spluttered.

"Ehehehe… sorry…" Eri bit her lip nervously. "We hardly see you anymore, so we thought, maybe…"

"That I'd gone and fucked any random guy that happened to catch my eye?" Kagome flared up dangerously. "If that was the case, d'you think I'd be so frustrated right now?"

"Ahhh… so that's what's up with you…" Eri grinned again. "You're sexually frustrated, aren't you?"

Kagome blushed a little. "Y-yes…" She murmured. The other three girls giggled.

Yuka began to fiddle with the straw in her drink. "So… any particular position you wanna try?"

OoOoOoOoOoO 

'_I can't believe I'm actually coming back early…_' Kagome inwardly groaned, climbing out of the well in Feudal Japan the next day. As soon as her feet touched the grass-covered ground, the source of her frustrations came bounding up to her, halting just mere inches away from her face.

"Keh! Wench!" Inuyasha barked. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I'm back early." Kagome raised and eyebrow. "If I recall correctly, the deal was for ten days. It's only been seven. I thought I'd come back early so we could get a head start." She shrugged out.

Inuyasha growled. "I still don't see why you have to go back all the damn time since you don't go to that 'school' and you don't take any more of those stupid 'tests'."

"It's nice to spend time with my friends and family, Inuyasha." Kagome scolded, heaving her backpack up. "I have a _life_ over there, you know. I don't _live_ to be your _shard detector_." She spat the last two words out as if they were poison.

Inuyasha, for his part, appeared totally unaffected by her words. "Keh! We have work to do, wench. You can go back and _stay there_ for all I care when we're done!"

Kagome bit her lips. What the _hell_ was she thinking, falling in love with the arrogant, selfish, brash, _bastard_ of a hanyou?! "Fine then; I will!" She gritted out. "Since it's obvious that you hate me so much… I'll… I'll… I'll just wish the _bitch_ alive again and you can go fuck her for all I care!" Kagome suddenly burst out, immediately regretting it.

"Don't you _dare_ bring Kikyo into this!" Inuyasha snapped his head around to look at her, fisting his hands in the sleeves of his red haori. "It's not _her_ fault you're in a bad fucking mood. Geez, bitch, calm down!"

"Don't call me a bitch!" Kagome screamed. "Sit!"

Inuyasha hit the floor with a grunt. Kagome shouldered her yellow backpack – heavily abused from her four years of travelling – and stomped off toward the village. However, within two seconds of the spell wearing off, Inuyasha was in front of her.

"Don't turn your back on me, bitch!" He snarled, clamping a hand over her mouth to stop her from saying the 's-word' again. "What the fuck is wrong with you, huh?! You're not usually this fuckin' pissed when you're in heat!"

Kagome took a deep, steadying breath when Inuyasha removed his hand, before shouting; "_I'm sick of you and your attitude is what's wrong with me_!_ I go home for one week – one LOUSY week – to see my friends and family, and then I come back EARLIER then we agreed on, and you're ALREADY riding my ass_!" She screamed in frustration. "_Sometimes I wonder if my friends aren't RIGHT_!_ I should just go home and STAY there!_"

"_CALM THE FUCK DOWN_!" Inuyasha barked at her. "I am _not_ 'riding your ass'. I just don't see what's so great on the other side of that damn freakin' well!" He roared, pointing his finger at the offending structure.

"_PEOPLE ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT ME OVER THERE, UNLIKE YOU!_" Kagome shouted, trying to shove Inuyasha out of the way. He just grabbed her wrist in his clawed hand, preventing her from any further movement.

"No." He said in a deep growl.

"No?" Kagome echoed. "No _what_?!"

"You're not going to the village." He growled, tossing her over one shoulder, and her backpack over the other, walking towards the well. "We didn't plan for another three days and we ain't leavin' for another three days. Just _go home_ and come back when you've calmed the fuck down!"

And with those words, he dumped her in the well.

Kagome felt the rush of time travel whoosh past her until she landed with a 'thump' in Modern Japan, flabbergasted. She looked up toward the top of the well hut.

"Did he just… _tell_ me to stay home…?"

OoOoOoOoOoO 

Inuyasha was breathing heavily, trying to calm down. Ok… so that _hadn't_ gone exactly as he'd planned. Oh hell, Kagome wasn't gonna come back soon – or willingly. And thank fuck for that. He'd figure out a way to get her to come back when it was safe for her.

Inuyasha gripped the sides of the well, digging his claws into it. Kagome didn't get it… he was dangerous to her when she was in heat! _Especially_ now, in the middle of spring! He had a hard time repressing his urges when it _wasn't_ spring and when she _wasn't_ in heat. It was torture when they fell at the same time.

So Inuyasha did what he normally did; he forced her to go home. Every spring, he would pick a fight with her, if only to keep her away from him. He only trusted the rosary to go so far. He didn't want to hurt Kagome; but the way she was going in the last few weeks, they were lucky he hadn't snapped yet.

His inner youkai was screaming at him, telling him to go and retrieve his angry and upset bitch to soothe her. She was too far away, damnit, and he couldn't _smell_ her! She had to be here, _now_! His eyes flashed red for a moment.

He tightened his grip on the ancient wood, willing himself to repress his demon urges. It would do him no good if he ended up raping Kagome. Then she'd _never_ come back. It was better to fight his inner battle and suffer than to hurt Kagome.

Gods, and she didn't even know the effect she had on him!

Every now and again, she'd squeeze him between her thighs when he was carrying her; like she _wanted_ him to jump her. He'd had to shift her more than once to calm his boiling blood down – of course, he'd have to go and relieve himself at night, away from prying eyes.

His blood finally calmed down after a few moments, leaving him panting from the exertions of trying to control it.

Not that he didn't _want_ to claim her – fuck, he _did_! But there was no way she'd accept him anyway. Who _would_ accept a hanyou for a mate? Especially someone as pure and kind hearted as a miko?

Kikyo, though she had taken away his loneliness for a time, had only reinforced that fact. She'd said that she'd only be with him if he turned human. She didn't want a hanyou. She would only allow him to take her after he had turned human and they'd had a proper human ceremony. And she'd had the biggest heart he knew of.

'_Except Kagome…_' He mused.

He didn't fool himself. She didn't want him to turn human because he could _protect_ her as a hanyou. He let out a sigh of frustration, balling his hands up into fists, his claws pricking at the skin of his palms. The smell of his own blood seemed to calm him down.

Releasing a deep breath, he lunged into the forest. He had no destination; he just _ran_. Away from the well. Away from temptation. Away from her scent. Away from Kagome. Away from _his bitch_. Far away.

'_Damnit, she'd better not come back!_' Inuyasha thought. '_I won't be responsible for my actions if she comes back!_'

OoOoOoOoOoO 

Kagome sat across from Souta at the kitchen table with her chin in her hands, watching their mother cook dinner. Ms Higurashi had appeared mildly surprised when Kagome had relayed the events to her. Souta had a thoughtful look on.

"You said that youkai have animal instincts?" He questioned a little bit later.

"Mhmm." Kagome nodded, her eyes lazily drifting over to her brother. "Why?"

"I was just wondering…" Souta grinned cheekily, "…if youkai have animal instincts… then maybe springtime is their mating season, like other animals?"

Kagome's chin slipped off of her hand, resulting in her head hitting the table in shock. "He-he'd have told me by _now_!" She spluttered. "Or Sango or Miroku! _One_ of them would have!"

"Perhaps he doesn't want you to know dear." Ms Higurashi said softly. "Lord knows he _does_ like to keep secrets. Maybe he thought you'd think him less of a person and more of an animal if you knew? He has enough insecurities for that to be true."

Kagome listened to them, processing the new information. It was entirely possible that he had bullied the others into not telling her about it… but she wasn't about to say if for _sure_.

But… it was worth asking Sango about…

"I'm gonna go back and see if I can find Sango and ask her about it." She decided, shouldering her pack again.

"Good luck dear." Ms Higurashi smiled.

"And be careful not to let Inuyasha catch you!" Souta grinned. "Who knows? Maybe his attitude isn't _just_ him being an ass."

Kagome slapped Souta upside the head at his implication. "One; no way – he wants Kikyo. Two; you're sounding just like Miroku. Three; don't _ever_ suggest that about your siblings and their friends, Souta, unless you want a hanyou tearing you to shreds."

Ms Higurashi and Souta laughed as Kagome left the room to go back to Feudal Japan.

OoOoOoOoOoO 

"Why d'you ask that, Kagome?" Sango blinked.

Kagome shrugged. "A suggestion my brother made. It makes sense." She chewed her lip. "Or am I imagining it?"

Sango looked around nervously. "…Alright." She finally sighed. "Yes, they do have a mating season. And yes, it's spring." She shook her head and leaned in. "But you didn't hear that from me."

"But why would he hide it from me?" Kagome looked crestfallen. "I thought he trusted me…"

"Who knows with Inuyasha?" Sango shrugged, tossing a stick into the fire idly. "He would have his own reasons for not telling you, Kagome. There are a lot of things he doesn't tell anyone. I didn't even _know_ he suffered from the effects of mating season." She confessed. "If I did, I would have brought it to your attention." She assured Kagome. "But, as to why he kept it from you – only he can answer that."

Kagome looked down at her lap. "Maybe he doesn't want anyone to know when his pining for Kikyo is at its worst." She suggested dully, her voice laced with hurt.

"I don't think that's it, Kagome." Sango shook her head. "He doesn't even get upset when we mention Kikyo anymore." She shot a glance in Kagome's direction to see her friend with her knees tucked into her chest, burying her face into the arms wrapped about he knees. "Kagome…?"

"I threw it all back at him." Kagome choked out. "I badmouthed Kikyo to him. I told him that I should just go back to my time and stay there." She sobbed. "I even had the gall to say that he didn't care about me!" She wailed.

"Now, you know that isn't true…" Sango rubbed her back soothingly. "Inuyasha cares about all of us in his own way…"

"I know…" Kagome sounded miserable. "That's why I feel so bad."

"Maybe you should just go home and sleep on it." Sango offered. "Come back tomorrow when your head's a bit clearer. And both of you have had time to calm down." She added as an afterthought. "Come on. I'll walk you to the well. Who knows what' out there this time of night?"

"Thanks, Sango." Kagome nodded, standing up. "I just need a nice hot bath and then a soft bed to sleep in for the night…"

"Just make sure you don't neglect discussing this with Inuyasha when you get back." Sango warned. "He's going to know you were here when he catches your scent freshly on me."

"Yeah, I know." Kagome murmured. "Sorry for bothering you about it, Sango."

"Not a problem." Sango held the reed mat over the door open. "That's what friends are for."

Kagome smiled as she ducked under the mat and through the door.

OoOoOoOoOoO 

It was late by the time Kagome had gotten back that night, so she crept upstairs and into bed straight away, not bothering with her bath.

It was, however, the first thing she did in the morning. She could faintly hear her mother patter around downstairs in the kitchen, preparing breakfast, and her brother in his room playing videogames. She briefly wondered why Souta was playing a game this early in the day, but then realised that it was Saturday. No school for Souta today.

Kagome's mind drifted back to Inuyasha and his current… _problem_. So… he was having a sort of PMS… she could deal with that. Glancing over at the calendar she'd placed in the room, her eyes widened. She'd marked on her calendar all the times when she was due to have her monthly… and the times when she would be 'in heat' in youkai terms. And her 'heat' should have been started yesterday.

"No wonder he got so testy." Kagome sighed, relaxing back into the tub. "My scent would have been through the roof. His nose probably would have been extra-sensitive to it too…" She brought a wet hand up to wash the water over her chest. She supposed that the scent of any female that he didn't like would have been repulsive to him.

As the warm water washed over her nude form, she was suddenly attacked with a _very_ vivid image of her very naked self and… she gulped… a very naked Inuyasha, tumbling by the hot springs. She shook her head with a whimper. She did _not_ want that to come to mind when she spoke to him today. They could _both_ do without _that_ scent attacking his nose.

On the other hand… she _could_ use it to her advantage…

'_No!_' She scolded herself. '_It doesn't matter HOW much you love him – tricking him into sex isn't right!_'

She mulled it over in the hot water until it began to cool. It was only two weeks into spring – the season was just beginning. That meant another ten weeks of torture for Inuyasha. She grimaced, glad she wasn't in his place.

"And the woman he wants to mate with is dead, too…" She sighed, towelling herself down. "That's gotta be a bummer."

"Breakfast's ready!" Ms Higurashi called out from downstairs. Kagome smiled, wrapping her robe around herself and the towel around her dripping hair. She'd dress and brush her hair later.

"Morning sis." Souta grinned.

"How'd it go last night, dear?" Ms Higurashi asked, setting some pancakes onto Kagome's plate.

Kagome stared at her for a second before realising that her mother meant with asking Sango. "Oh! That!" She accepted her plate. "It went fine."

"And…?" Souta prodded. "Was I right…?"

Kagome shot him a testy look before answering. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

Souta shrugged. "I've been watching documentaries."

"Docu…mentaries?" Kagome blinked. "On _what_?!"

"For science class." Souta shrugged. "We're studying mating habits in the animal kingdom… you'll _never_ guess what animal we're doing now…" He said slyly.

"Wait, lemme take a stab." He rolled her eyes. "It wouldn't happen to be… _dogs_, would it?"

Souta feigned shock. "However did you guess?"

"And what have you been learning, dear?" Ms Higurashi sat down opposite Souta with her own breakfast, handing his to him.

"Not a lot." Souta shrugged. "Just basically the similarities and differences between human and animal reproduction."

"Youkai and animals may have similar instincts, but youkai aren't animals." Kagome snorted. "I'm _sure_ they're different."

"And what makes you think that?" Ms Higurashi looked over.

Kagome sighed and cupped her face with her hand. "Well, I know that youkai mate for life – _all_ types of youkai." She recalled a conversation with Sango that they'd had a few months ago. "And youkai males are dominant, possessive, and _really_ protective of their mates."

Ms Higurashi raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Think Inuyasha's attitude toward me, and multiply it by a hundred." Kagome rolled her eyes, using Sango's example. "And then _maybe_ you'll get some sorta idea of how their relationships work."

"Do they fight over potential mates?" Souta asked, sitting forward in his chair.

Kagome thought back to the last time they'd seen Kouga. He and Inuyasha had gotten into _another_ fight after Kouga staked a claim on Kagome. Inuyasha had flown through the roof when someone had dared to try to claim his shard detector. Kagome scowled. "They fight over anything they deem _their property_."

"Whaddaya mean?" Souta asked through a mouthful of pancake. Kagome sighed.

"Inuyasha claims I'm his 'shard detector'." Kagome explained, waving a hand around in the air carelessly. "Kouga claims I'm his mate. They fight over it all the time."

"Maybe Inuyasha is hiding his _true_ feelings." Ms Higurashi smiled knowingly.

"I doubt that very much." Kagome scoffed. "Anything he harbours toward me is probably misplaced affection for Kikyo."

"Oh, don't say that dear." Ms Higurashi had a strange gleam in her eyes. "You never know what goes on in the heart of that boy."

"Or his _head_…" Kagome murmured bitterly, standing up. "I'm gonna go get ready to go." She took off towards the stairs.

"I bet you she comes back as his mate." Souta glanced at his mother.

"My thoughts exactly dear." Ms Higurashi grinned widely. "I knew it from the moment I set eyes on him."

"You're creepy, Mama." Souta grinned. Ms Higurashi laughed.

"I know, dear."

OoOoOoOoOoO 

Inuyasha relaxed against a branch in the Goshinboku. It was a cool spring day, and Kagome wasn't there. Life was good. His eyebrow twitched as an all-too-familiar scent hit his nose.

Oh fuck.

"Inuyasha?"

He glanced down to see his worst fear at the moment. Kagome was standing below him, at the base of the large tree, her skirt being teased up by the wind. As if half aware, she had a hand holding it down at the front, to preserve her modesty. Her scent came crawling up through the winds and wrapped around his head, almost blinding him with a fog.

"What're you doin' here?" He growled, looking away again and closing his eyes.

Kagome sat down at the base of the tree, smoothing her skirt. "I thought we could talk this over." She hummed to herself, tugging on her collar. "Something seems to be bothering you. Why don't you come down?"

"No." He grunted out, digging his claw into his arms in order to keep himself distracted.

Kagome was silent for a moment. "Why didn't you ever tell me about the Season?" She piped up suddenly.

Inuyasha froze as a growl escaped his throat. "What season?"

"Mating season." Kagome rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Do I _have_ to tell you everything?" He scoffed.

"It would be nice if you trusted me." She persisted. "You only told me about your human night because you _had_ to-" She was cut off by Inuyasha's hand. He'd bounded down the tree and shoved a hand over her mouth to shut her up.

"That is _not_ the kinda thing I want advertised, alright?!" He growled. "I didn't tell you because… because…" He couldn't bring himself to say it, and lowered his ears.

Kagome sighed knowingly, taking his hand away from her mouth to speak. "Because you were worried that I'd think less of you if I knew?" She tested her mother's theory out, knowing what he'd say next.

And he proved her right, too. "Keh!" Inuyasha turned his back and crossed his arms, sticking his nose into the air. "Like I care what _you_ think!"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome settled a hand on his shoulder tenderly, "…I just want to know why you didn't tell me, that's all."

"Is it so bad to want to keep things to myself?" He snapped, lowering his ears defensively, awaiting her snapping at him.

To his surprise, Kagome giggled. "No, but when it affects me too, then it'd be great if you told me."

Inuyasha's ears half rose experimentally. Not hearing or smelling any anger in Kagome's sweet presence, he allowed his posture to loosen a little. "How… does it affect you?" He knitted his eyebrows together in confusion.

Kagome giggled. "Kouga." Inuyasha growled and bared his fangs at the name. Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha, calm down." Her posture stilled. "Speak of the devil…" She groaned, sensing two shards approaching rapidly.

"Kagome!"

For once, Inuyasha whisked Kagome out of the way as the twister that was Kouga swept into the area. Kagome was pulled flush against Inuyasha's form, which was trembling with his growls. Kagome tightened her grip on his fire rat haori.

"Oi! Let 'er go, dog turd." Kouga raised an eyebrow.

"Kouga…" Kagome fought against Inuyasha's iron grip. "Maybe you should go… now's _not_ a good time…"

"Ha!" Kouga barked out in laughter. "You're funny, Mate."

Inuyasha's growling increased, but he didn't say a word. He did, however tighten his grip on Kagome at the word 'mate'. "Kouga… please… just leave…" Kagome pleaded. "We were busy talking… come back _after_ the season's over, please."

"No way." Kouga shook his head, approaching the two of them. "You're mine, and I _won't_ wait to claim you." Inuyasha's growling increased as he backed away from Kouga, dragging Kagome with him.

"She ain't yours." Inuyasha snarled.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome turned her head to face him. "It's alright… you can let me go now…"

"The hell I can." He flickered his eyes to her. Kagome was startled to see the red bleeding into his eyes. "The second I let you go, this mangy wolf'll run off with you."

"I won't go with him…" Kagome promised in a low voice. "Come on, Inuyasha. I made a promise to say with you, didn't I? I won't be leaving you any time soon…"

"Come on, Mate." Kouga tugged at Kagome's free arm. "You honestly think a promise to a filthy dog like this is worth keepin'?"

"Kouga!" Kagome cried out in pain from the tugging on her arm. What was a gentle tug for a demon was a painful yank for a human. "Kouga you're hurting me! Let me go! I'm _not_ you're mate! Now let me go!"

At the sound of her distressed cries, Inuyasha snapped. He released his hold on her momentarily and, within a second, was behind Kouga, clawing him in the back. Kouga, startled, dropped Kagome out of his hold. She scrambled away to hide behind the Goshinboku.

"She's mine!" Inuyasha snarled. "Mine!"

Kagome screamed, watching the fight before her. Kouga was getting attacked from every which way. He couldn't hope to keep up with Inuyasha's speed. She couldn't tear her eyes away.

Inuyasha was lost. His rage had overcome him, blocking out Kouga's yelps of pain and Kagome's pleas for him to stop. All that he knew was that someone had _dared_ try to claim _his _bitch, and he had to teach them a lesson. The wolf would pay for trying to take what was his. Oh, he would pay dearly.

Kouga managed to get some distance away from Inuyasha, panting. He had scratch marks on his face and several long, deep gashes along his arms and legs. There was a hole in his armour where Inuyasha had punched him, and he was bleeding from the mouth. He was not a pretty sight.

He lunged at Inuyasha, slashing with his own claws. He managed to tear through the sleeves of the fire rat robes and inflict damage on Inuyasha's flesh, drawing blood. Kagome was sobbing in fear, cowering at the base of the Goshinboku.

A scream from her distracted Inuyasha, who was quickly subdued by Kouga. Kouga snarled like a wild animal, raising his claws for the fatal strike, using his other hand to pin Inuyasha down.

"No!" Kagome cried, lunging at Kouga. She managed to knock the unsuspecting wolf demon off balance and allowed Inuyasha to free himself. Inuyasha pushed Kagome back, out of the way of the fight.

At some point, he'd transformed into a full-youkai. Kagome scrambled back, terrified. Kouga eyed the demon Inuyasha fearfully. His eyes flitted between Kagome and Inuyasha a few times before he stood and backed up.

"I know when to give in." He tucked his tail between is legs. "She's made her decision. You have proven yourself more worthy than I. I'll leave now." He retreated back into the trees without a backwards glance.

Inuyasha's breathing calmed down a little, but his blood did not recede. Kagome was shaking as he approached her. "Bitch." He growled at her, lightly yanking her to her feet by the wrist.

"I-Inuya-aaaaaaah!" Kagome screamed as Inuyasha swept her legs out from under her to lift her bridal style. He sped through the forest, tucking her into his chest as he leapt from tree to tree.

Kagome didn't know whether to feel scared or not. On one hand, here was demon Inuyasha; she was at his mercy. On the other, he'd never hurt her before; would he start now?

He ran for ages; well into the night. Kagome was really starting to get stiff and needed to stretch, but the wind on her face and flying through her hair was calming. She almost felt as if she were flying. With the moon hanging high in the sky, and the stars twinkling down on them, it felt almost ethereal.

All of a sudden, they lurched to a stop. Kagome looked up, startled, to see Inuyasha back to normal, his eyes wide with surprise. For once in his life, he appeared – dare she think it? – afraid. He stared at her – slack jawed – for a moment, before setting her down.

"K-Kagome?" He backed off rapidly.

Kagome frowned and took a step over to him. "Inuyasha?" She breathed, concerned. "What's wrong? You look so spooked."

"I… I…" He was, for the first time since she'd met him, shaking. He had no idea what to say.

He shocked her by taking a step back, and rocketing off into the forest.

"Inuyasha!" She yelled out, trying to follow him. She quickly lost sight of him, but the trail of destruction that he left behind made it easy enough to follow him.

"Inuyasha! Wait!"

OoOoOoOoOoO 

He ignored her yelling out to him.

He ran away again. She was never too far behind him – he could still hear her panting, trying to catch up with him. But he didn't want to be caught. He was a disgrace. He was so _desperate_ to stop Kouga from taking Kagome that he'd _let_ his demon blood take over. And he remembered _everything_!

Shit, he'd almost killed Kouga. Despite how much of a front he put up when it came to the wolf demon, the only real problem that he had with him was concerning Kagome. Otherwise, he thought of the youkai as an ally and – strangely enough – a friend. No way Kagome wasn't gonna sit him when she caught him.

"Inuyasha! There you are!"

He hadn't realised that he'd stopped his running in order to perch atop an outcrop of boulders. He looked down to see Kagome scrambling up to the rocks – she could not hope to climb up – her face a picture of confusion and genuine concern. "Don't run off again, please?" She panted, seeing him tense his legs.

"Stay away from me!" He growled, digging his claws into the boulder and flattening his ears down against his head while he screwed his eyes shut and tried to block out Kagome's alluring scent. "Just – just get away!"

"Come down, please?" She looked up at him. "Don't make me 's-word' you to make you come down."

Inuyasha stilled. He could smell nothing but concern lacing Kagome's scent. "You're not… mad… at me?" He lifted one of his ears to hear her response.

"No." Kagome shook her head. Shocked, his ears rocketed up straight and he gaped at her. "Why would I be? You were only looking out for me. Kouga was seriously trying to take me away. I understand that you don't want anyone to take your shard detector. It's alright; I'm not mad."

Totally shocked, Inuyasha could do nothing but slowly lower himself to the ground. "And what about… what I said…?"

"You don't control what your demon says." She shook her head with a sigh, leading him to the hot spring that was not even fifty feet away, and sat him down on the bank. "It's alright. I know you meant it as in your shard detector."

Inuyasha bit his lips to burst out that she was wrong and that she _was_ his. His ears started to flick when she tore off the sleeve of her shirt and dipped it into the warm water. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Cleaning your wounds." She gripped his arm tightly and pushed the sleeve back. She gasped. "Kouga didn't do these…" She looked from down at the puncture marks on his arms, to up at him. "Why did you do this to yourself, Inuyasha?" She whispered.

"I…" Inuyasha looked away. "No reason." He grunted.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome sighed, tightening her grip on his arm. "No one hurts themselves for '_no reason_'…"

"I…"

"Please, just tell me." She pleaded. "Maybe there's something I can do to help." He cringed. "Did Kikyo come around when I wasn't here?" She ventured. "And you were trying to control yourself from your urges?"

"No!" Inuyasha gaped at her. How could she…?

She smiled sadly. "Well I don't see any other reason." She shrugged. "Care to enlighten me?"

"I…" He didn't know what on _earth_ possessed him to tell the truth. He really didn't. But the next thing he knew, the words were spilling out before he had a chance to stop them. "I was trying to stop myself from… from claiming you as my mate."

Kagome froze, her eyes trained on the sodden rag that used to be her sleeve. She swallowed down her next words, and continued to cleanse the wounds in silence. Inuyasha's ears were flat against his head at her silence, fully expecting her to blow up. But it never came.

His eyes studied her face, her eyes hidden behind her bangs. The rest of her face remained impassive, schooled. Disciplined. She didn't let anything slip. It only served to remind him why he fell in love with her; she was strong. She was stronger than anyone he'd ever met before.

Another thing that reminded him; she was willing to dirty herself with his blood. His eyes strayed to the warm, damp cloth that she was dragging all over his cuts. It was stained red all over – hell she even had some on her hands. She was tainted for being in his company, and yet she seemed not to care.

She leaned over into the water to clean it out again, exposing about half of her stomach, where her shirt rode up. Not able to contain himself, Inuyasha just leaned over and… _licked_ it.

Kagome stiffened, her eyes widening. She could feel the blood rushing to her face and… other parts of her body. She slowly turned to see that Inuyasha had retreated another good three feet, eyes screwed shut and ears pressed down as close to his head as possible in preparation for the customary 'sit'. "I-Inuyasha?" She squeaked.

He cringed. She slowly crawled over to him, the rag forgotten in the water. "Inuyasha?" She whispered. "What was that for?"

"I already told you!" Inuyasha growled in frustration. "Both my demon _and_ human sides want you as my mate!"

Kagome was silent for a time. He refused to open his eyes to look at her. "But… but what about Kikyo?"

"What _about_ her?" He growled. "She's been dead for over fifty years. Damnit bitch, I got over her _ages_ ago! It's _you_ I love! _You _I want! _You're_ the one I'm with all the time! I only go to her because I feel guilty about her death! Damnit, why can't you _see_ that?!" By now, he had grabbed her shoulders and was staring her down with an intensity that caused her to shiver.

They were silent for a moment. "D'you… d'you really mean that?" Kagome whispered, afraid she had misheard.

"I've said a lotta bullshit to you over the years, Kagome." He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "But I swear to the Gods that I'm serious this time." He was resigned to the imminent rejection and the 'sit' that was sure to follow. But _Gods_, he felt better.

Emboldened by his admission, Kagome leaned up, planting a feather-light, chaste kiss on his lips. Withdrawing, she giggled. "A simple 'yes' you have sufficed."

Inuyasha stared, stunned, as she slowly crawled into his lap and manually put his arms around her. "I love you too, Inuyasha. I have for a long time." She sighed, burying her face into his chest. "If you wanted me to be your mate, all you had to do was ask."

"Wh-what do you mean?" He managed to force out.

She sighed contentedly. "I'm saying that, if you want me to, I'll gladly be your mate." She looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye. "Unless you don't want to – I can underst-"

Inuyasha pressed his lips to hers with an instinctive growl. "Damnit Kagome… I won't do that to you." He snarled, pulling away to nuzzle at her neck.

"Do what?" She gasped, her face flushing once again as her blood flooded down south. "Inuyasha… If you're worried that… that I'll be shunned because of it…" She closed her eyes and lolled her head backwards to allow him more of her neck. "…I don't care."

"No, Kagome." Inuyasha growled, pushing her off him sharply to land on the soggy ground. "I _wont_. I wont make you suffer."

"And what do you think is happening _now_?" She whimpered, crawling back over to him. "Inuyasha… I love you so much… It _hurts_ that I'm not allowed to do anything with it."

"You… You'd _willingly_ put yourself in that position?" Inuyasha breathed, hardly daring to believe his ears.

"Anytime." Kagome breathed, pulling herself back into his lap. "So long as I can be with you."

Rational thought flew out the window for Inuyasha. Kagome tangled her fingers into his hair and tugged his face down to cover her lips with his own, to which he willingly complied. His arms snaked around her waist again possessively, holding her fast. Hell, if she were willing, then there was nothing stopping them from being together forever.

**(2 598 words have been removed from this fic due to an explicit nature. Please visit my page on MediaMiner. org for the full version)**

He slowly pulled out of her heat and lay down next to her, pulling her into the spooning position and kissing around the angry red mark that stood out against her pale skin. Kagome let out a sigh of content.

"I'm sorry." Inuyasha winced, staring at her shoulder and lapping up the blood that was still coming out of her wound. "I hurt you…"

"Mmm, no you didn't…" Kagome murmured almost incoherently.

"You're bleeding…" He used a clawed finger to trace the mark he'd made.

Kagome giggled lazily. "That usually happens when you get bitten." She rolled over to face him. "I didn't fell a thing when you bit me." She assured him, leaning up to kiss him lightly. "I was too wrapped up in… other things…" She blushed a pretty shade of red.

Inuyasha let out a grin. "Time for sleep, Mate." He whispered, smoothing her hair. "We have a big day tomorrow; explaining this to everyone."

"Mhmm… I love you." Was all Kagome could get out, as she tucked her head into his chest. He wrapped an arm around her possessively, hugging her to him.

"I love you too, my Kagome."

* * *

**And that's it! 17 pages of… I don't know WHAT it is… It ain't all fluff, and it ain't all hentai… 17 pages of Kagome? LOL! Well, I tend to focus on female characters anyway… (the full version is about 22 pages)**

**Drop a review!**


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